Education

Research Interests

My research uses the fossil record of birds on islands to answer questions on paleoecology, taphonomy, biodiversity and biogeography. I am currently involved in research at Liang Bua Cave (Flores, Indonesia), which in 2003 yielded a new species of tiny hominin, Homo floresiensis, and Mare aux Songes (Mauritius). At Liang Bua, birds are the most diverse faunal group so far, and avian remains are distributed throughout the sediments spanning the last 100.000 years. It provides us with an unique record of prehistoric avian biodiversity in an area that is renowned for its high levels of biodiversity and degree of endemism. I use this fossil bird assemblage to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment of Homo floresiensis and to document the response of an insular bird community to natural and non-natural disturbances. My work on Mauritius focuses on the evolutionary history of Mauritius and understanding the origin of the dodo mass grave at the Mare aux Songes.